
LESSON 4 January 21-27
4.1-0
Prh
priville
e of work
"Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One
of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of
things to come concerning my sons,
and concerning the work of my hands
command ye me. I have made the
earth, and created man upon it: I,
even my hands, have stretched out the
heavens, and all their host have I
commanded" (Isa. 45:11, 12).
The Bible reveals that God is ever
active and His activity is called work.
Thus the universe He has brought into
being is called His handiwork. God is
active in sustaining the universe and
every part of it. The planets in their
courses are dependent on Him for
continuing motion, and all living
creatures are dependent on Him for
sustenance and life. God is also active
in the affairs of men, for example, in
the rise and fall of governments. He
calls out individuals to serve Him and
works out His plans and purposes
through a variety of agencies. He is the
judge of all, and the time will come
when His order will be vindicated and
evil will be wiped out forever. God
never rests. His ear is open to every
cry. His devotion to His creatures and
His work on their behalf is a
fundamental characteristic of His
being.
Since this is so, work has
sacramental value. It is part of the
natural order and cannot be ignored.
It is a way of life and cannot be set
aside. To envisage existence without
work is to consider a totally different
order of creation from that which has
been brought into existence by God
and which we see all around us.
What is this activity called "work"?
What form does it take, and how
important is it in the life? These are the
questions that we take up for study
this week. First of all, we see God as
the Master Worker. We note
perfection and beauty, a basic pattern
for all work which should be profitable
and good. Then we note that work is to
be an important phase of man's life,
since he was created in the image of
God and granted dominion over all
the earth. Material changes have taken
place because of sin, but man still has
his work to do in caring for and
keeping in order the eFements in his
environment. Then we look at Jesus
and see how He worked on earth,
setting us an example. The fourth part
of thelesson looks at man in his work
relationships and explores the
Christian attitude to work. Fifth, we
look at the kinds of work that the
Christian can legitimately engage in.
And finally, we see howwork is not the
be-all or end-all of life, but is intended
to be a means of enjoying life to the
full. Work is a privilege and a blessing.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
1.
God, the Master Worker
(Gen. 2:2)
2.
Man—His Work Responsibilities
(Gen. 1:28; 2:15)
3.
Jesus, the Model Workman
(Luke 2:52)
4.
Relationships at Work
(E h. 6:5, 6)
•
5.
Work and Vocation
(2 Tim. 1:9)
6.
Work, a Blessing
(1 Cor. 3:9)
JOAN WALTER